Party with the Clydesdales for spring break in Fairfield

A team of Budweiser Clydesdales is taking a spring break visit to Fairfield, and encourages local residents to do the same.

They will be available for visits at the stables of the Anheuser-Busch Fairfield through Sunday, April 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Photo opportunities with a professional photographer will held today (Wednesday, April 12) and Thursday, April 13 between 11 a.m. and noon and again from 4 to 5 p.m.

Full hitch parades are scheduled Friday from noon to 2 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

Brewery tours and "unique beer experiences" are also on offer.

Clydesdales and Budweiser go back more than 80 years.

August A. Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch gave their father two six-horse hitches of Clydesdales in celebration of the 1933 repeal of prohibition.

Clydesdales are named for the region of Scotland where they were first developed for farm work more than 300 years ago, and are characterized by their large size and substantial “feather,” the long hair that covers their hooves.

“Despite a dressy appearance, they are capable of pulling a 1-ton load at 5 mph,” according to information posted on the Budweiser website.

The Budweiser Clydesdales marched in two presidential inauguration parades, Harry Truman’s in 1949 and Bill Clinton’s in 1993.

In 1950, the Clydesdales got Dalmatian mascots that sit beside the driver and serve as friend and companion to the team.